“Gourmet” yarns are what I call them. Fabulous “Fuzzies”, Wonderful Wools, Marvelous Mohair, Colorful “Carry-a longs”, Funky Chunkies, as well as cashmere, Moreno wools, llama, silks and many others made in exotic places like Italy, Turkey, Japan and Idaho.

There are yarns that are delicate, soft and fine; and some that are so big and chunky that you can have that “instant gratification” rush and actually finish a scarf in one 2-hour baseball game! And knitting makes the perfect homemade gift for someone.

Wool felting is also making it big. You can felt purses, hats, slippers…to felt …you knit with 100% wool (not “washable”) and when you are done you wash it in hot water so it will shrink! Yup, you want it to shrink. Your knitting becomes a dense fabric and does not even look like it has been knitted! It is easy and fun. The only trick is figuring out exactly how much your knitting will shrink—it is my suggestion to knit a swatch, wash it and test it to see how much it shrinks…but, I know there are only a handful of knitters out there who will actually swatch before they start a project! Most of us are just too eager to start knitting and bypass the “swatch to get your gauge” step! There are some great books out there for knitting and felting.  One great book for  felting is "Pursenalities" by Eva Wiechmann.  I have made several purses from this book and her directions are easy and clear. And the results are fantastic.  I have been felting with Cascade 220 wool yarn.  Love it!

I learned to knit when I was nine years old. And did it for one summer. But now I am back!

Two years ago, we added yarn to the quilt shop I work at and I have been a non-stop knitter girl ever since. Now, I have created about 50 scarves, 20 felted wool bags, 4 ponchos, 1 shawl, 25 beanies and I think I am almost ready to make a sweater.

If you haven’t tried it…sign up for a beginning knitting class and get going! But, be warned… it is habit forming.